What counts as whistleblowing

Whistleblowing means raising a concern about wrongdoing you have seen or suspect at work, where that wrongdoing affects others: the public, customers, patients, colleagues, or the organisation itself. The person raising the concern is often called a whistleblower, though many people who blow the whistle never think of themselves that way. They simply saw something wrong and said so.

The law groups the wrongdoing that whistleblowing covers into six broad categories:

• A criminal offence, for example fraud, bribery, or theft
• A breach of a legal obligation, for example ignoring regulatory requirements or breaking the terms of a licence
• A miscarriage of justice
• Danger to the health and safety of any individual
• Damage to the environment
• The deliberate covering up of any of the above

Notice that last category. Concealing wrongdoing is itself wrongdoing. If you become aware that a problem in one of the first five categories is being hidden, reporting the cover-up is just as much whistleblowing as reporting the original failure.

Past, present, or future

You do not have to wait for harm to happen. A concern qualifies whether the wrongdoing has already occurred, is happening now, or is likely to happen in the future. Reporting a dangerous practice before it injures someone is exactly what the system is designed for.

You do not need proof

Whistleblowing is about raising a concern, not proving a case. You are not expected to have gathered evidence, interviewed witnesses, or established the facts beyond doubt. If you reasonably believe something is wrong, that is enough to speak up. Investigating is someone else's job, as later sections cover in detail.